Seat for invalid transfer devices



1945- M. M. FARMER I SEAT FOR INVALID TRANSFER DEVICES Filed May 17, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 10, 1945. M. M. FARMER SEAT FOR INVALID TRANSFER DEV ICES Filed May 1'7, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 10, 1945 UNITED STATES ZQATENT OFFICE SEAT Fon INVALID TRANSFER DEVICES Melvin Farmer, Blue Island, 111. Application. May 17, 1944, Serial No. 535,9 01

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in seats for invalid transfer devices and it consists of the matters'hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is more especially concerned with a seat of this kind which has a toilet opening therein and a closure for said opening that may be removed from and applied to the body of the seat from beneath the same. Such a. seat, with the closure in place thereon, is adapted to be placedgupon a bed occupied by an invalidwho then assumes. a sitting position upon the seat. The occupied seat is then turned into a position to be engaged and picked'up by the laterally spaced arms of a mobile transfer device and elevated to clear the top of the bed, for transfer to a chair ortoilet and. the like. Asan example of an invalidtransfer device with. which the improved seat is particularly advantageous, reference is made to my co-pending application Serial No. 467,070 filed November 26, 1942., which became Patent No, 2,375,907 issued May 15, 1945.

One of the objects of the invention is toprovide a. seat for an invalid transfer device and in which the closure may be more readily handledv in removing it from and applyingitto the body of'the seat from beneath the'same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seat of this kind which may be more readily cleaned and. maintained ina sanitary condition without damage by immersing in hot water or by treating the same to the action of steam. in a suitable sterilizer.

Also, it is an. object of the inventionttoi provide a seat of this kind wherein the closureisprovided on its bottom surface with a lever for releasing the closure from the opening in. the seat body from below and which lever then forms, a handle for the closure, that may be conveniently grasped by the hand forholding the closure either when cleaning thesame or reapplying it to the seat body for closing the opening therein. The above mentioned objects ofthe invention, as well as others, together with the advantages thereof will more fully appear as the specification proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a seat for an invalid transfer device embodying the preferred formof the invention.

Fig, 2 is a bottom plan view of the improve seat on a scale enlarged over that of Fig.1, a portion beingbroken away for illustrative purposes.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the seat as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l and on a scale enlarged over that of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of the parts appearing in the right hand end of Fig. 3 with certain of said parts in a changed relation.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the improved seat as taken on the line 5-5 and on the scale of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the closure member of the seat, on substantially the scale of Fig. 2, when removed from the body of the seat and more particularly, illustrates the actuating lever of the closure in its handle forming position and which will be more fully referred to later;

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the improved seat includes a seat body It and a closure member H for a certain toilet opening therein, hereinafter referred to. y

The seat body it, which is made as a relatively fiat unitary casting, preferably of aluminum or the like, is generally of a somewhat elongated rectangular shape and deeper from front to rear than it is wide. The said bod includes a, somewhat depressed or concaved top wall I2 within its side and rear margins |3--l3 and I 4 respectively and is formed at the front. end with a central nose l5 and cut back rounded portions lG-I-B to accommodate the under the knee portions of the legs of the occupant of the seat.

In the depressed top wall portion of the body is a substantially pear shaped opening I! (see Fig.

l) defined by a downwardly and outwardly flaring flange it, the bottom edge of which i flush with the bottom surfaces of the margins l3 and I4 before referred to. l

In each side margin l3-l3 is a laterally opening groove or channel l 3. These grooves or channels are adapted to receive a pair of arms onthe transfer device, with which the seat is used, and which device is illustrated and described in my before-mentioned application. A transverse rib 20 connects each side of the flange iii-at its point of greatesttransverse diameter with the margins l3-l3. At the front end of the opening I 1, is located an upwardly facing ledge 2| (see Fig. 3). At the rear end of the opening H, on the median line of the body, there is provided a boss 22. in which is anchored a keeper 23 with an inclined part 24 that projects inwardly of the inner surface of th flange [8 at thi point. The purpose of said ledge 2| and keeper 23 will appear later.

On the underside of the rear margin M of the seat body are bosses 25-45 to give depth, to openings 2B23 and which openings are adapted to detachably receive the uprights 2|2| that support a back rest 28 as appears in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The closure member before mentioned, is complemental to the opening I1 and isintended to be applied to and removed therefrom from beneath the seat body. Said closure member H includes a top wall 29 that forms a continuation of the top wall |2 of the body when the closure is in place in the opening I1. Said top wall is provided with lateral flanges 3030 that are complemental to those parts of the flange |8 with which they engage and said flanges are connected by front, rear and intermediate transverse flange 3|, 32 and 33 respectively. The front end of the top wall 29 of the closure, forwardly of the flange 3| is formed to provide an extension 34 for engagement on the ledge 2| as best appears in Fig. 3. Projecting rearwardly from the rear flange 32 is a boss 36.

31 indicates a plunger which has sliding hearing at its front end in an opening 38 in the flange 33 and at its rear end in an opening 39 in flange 32 and boss 36 respectively. The rear end of said plunger is beveled off as at 40 (see Figs. 3 and 4) so as to coact with the inclined part 24 of the keeper 23.

The mid portion of said plunger is provided with a vertically flattened enlarged portion 4|. The cam-like end 42 of a lever 43 is bifurcated to straddle said portion 4| and is pivotally connected thereto by a pin 44. An expansion spring 45 surrounds that part of the plunger 31 between the flange 33 and enlarged portion 4| and normally urges said plunger rearwardly.

The plunger 31, lever 43 and spring 45 may be applied to the closure as follows: It is to be noted from Figs. 3 and 4 that the bottom part of the opening 33 in the flange 33 is beveled downwardly .e,

and rearwardly. Therefore, with the spring 45 disposed upon the plunger, the front end of the plunger is inserted through the opening 38 at the angle of its bottom part. Using the lever 43 as a handle, the plunger is pushed forwardly so as to compress the spring 45 far enough to permit the bevelled rear end 40 of .the plunger to pass the flange 32 and be aligned with the opening 39 into which it then slides.

As before stated, the bifurcated cam end 42 of the lever straddles the plunger and its periphery is made somewhat flat on substantially two sides so that when the plunger is in place on the 010-- sure, the two flat sides of said cam end, due to their engagement with the associated parts of the top wall 29 and flange 32, prevent turning of the plunger about its axis. As the lever is pivotally connected to the plunger by the pin 44 and as the spring 45 normally urges the plunger rearwardly, the cammed end of the lever holds the same in either the closed position shown in Fig. 3, or in "open position shown in Fig. 4.

When the lever 43 is in the closed position,

it partially embraces the spring 45 and at this time the bevelled rear end of the plunger has a locked engagement with the keeper as shOWn in said Fig. 3, the lever and the plunger both being held in this position by the spring 45.

When the lever is in the open position shown in Fig. 4, the bevelled rear end of the plunger is retracted from the keeper 23 and is disposed within the boss 36. In this position the lever form a downwardly extending handle, as best appears in Fig. 6, and which handle may be held in the hand in applying the closure to or removing it from the opening I! in the seat body when the latter is being carried by the arms of the transfer device before mentioned.

Assume that the closure II is in place in the opening ll of the seat body l0, as shown in Fig. 3, and that the seat being carried by the transfer device is occupied by an invalid who requires toilet service. The operator reaches under the seat and grasps the lever 43 and swings it downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 4 so that the plunger 31 is released from the keeper 23. The rear end of the closure now drops downwardly so that the closure as a whole can now be moved in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined direction, which removes the extension 34 from the ledge 2|. This exposes the entire opening I! for toilet purposes.

To reapply the closure, the front end thereof is moved upwardly and forwardly so that the extension 34 engages on the ledge 2| after which the rear end of the closure is swung upwardly about the ledge as a fulcrum into closing position, at which time the lever 43 is swung to its closed position so that the bevelled rear end 40 of the plunger 31 operatively engages the keeper 23 as before.

It is to be noted that when the closure is in place in the opening H, the lever 43 and the plunger 31 are disposed well above the plane of the bottom surface of the seat member. Thus the seat may be slid about the top surface of a bed without difficulty into a position most convenient to place the invalid, occupying the bed. in a sitting position upon the seat.

When the seat is occupied and is being carried by the lifting device, the closure may be readily removed from and reapplied to the seat member by even an inexperienced person.

As all parts of the seat are made of metal, it may be cleansed and sterilized in hot water or steam without damage to the parts thereof.

While in describing the invention, I have referred in detail to the form, arrangement and construction of the parts mentioned, the same is to be considered only in an illustrative sense so that I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A seat for an invalid transfer device embodying therein a seat member having an opening therein, a closure for said opening adapted to be applied to and removed from said seat member from beneath the same, a part Of said eat member adjacent said opening being formed to receive an associated part of the closure for supporting the same when said closure is disposed in said opening, and means on another part of said closure adapted to detachably engage with a second part of the seat member adjacent said opening, said means and said second part of the seat member being located between the top and bottom surfaces of said closure and said seat member respectively to provide a flush bottom for the seat when said closure is disposed in said seat member.

2. A seat for an invalid transfer device embodying therein a seat member having an opening therein, a closure for said opening adapted to be applied to and removed from said seat memher from beneath the same, a part of said seat member adjacent said opening being formed to receive an associated part of the closure for supporting the same when said closure isdisposed in said opening, means on another part of said closure adapted to detachably enga with nd part of the seat member adjacent said opening, and a lever pivoted on said closure'and connected to said means, said lever when swung into one position detaching said means from said second part of said seat member, said lever when in said one position providing a handle by which the closure may b held in the hand when removing the same from or when applying it to said opening in the seat member.

3. A seat for an invalid transfer device embodying therein a seat member having an opening therein, a closure for said opening adapted to be applied to and removed from said seat member from beneath the same, a part of said seat member adjacent said opening being formed to receive an associated part of the closure for supporting the same when said closure is disposed in said opening, a sprin pressed plunger operatively carried by said closure adapted to detachably en gage another part of the seat member adjacent said opening, and a pivotally mounted lever for actuating said plunger for withdrawing it from i the associated part on the seat member, said lever when in its position wherein it has disengaged said plunger from said associated part of the seat member, standing substantially perpendicular to said closure and providing a handle by which the closure may be held in the hand when removing the samefrom or when applying it to said opening in the seat member.

4. A seat for an invalid transfer device em bodying therein a seat member having an opening therein, a closure for said openin adapted to be applied to and removed from said seat member from beneath the same, a part of said seat member adjacent said opening being formed to receive an associated part of the closure for supporting the same when said closure is disposed in said opening, a spring pressed plunger operatively carried by said closure adapted to detachably engage another part of the seat member adjacent said opening, and a lever pivotally mounted on said plunger for actuating the same in withdrawing it from the associated part on the seat member, said lever when in its position when applying it to, said opening in the seat member. 7

5. A seat for an invalid transfer device embodying therein a seat member having an opening therein, a closure for said opening adapted to be applied to and removed from said seat member from beneath the same, a part of said seat member adjacent said opening being formed to receive an associated part of the closure for supporting the same when said closure is disposed in said opening, a spring pressed plunger operatively carried by said closure adapted to'detachably en gage another part of the seat member adjacent said opening, a lever pivotally mounted at one end on said plunger and which end is formed to provide a cam-like part adapted for engagement with a part of the closure so that when said lever is swung downwardly and away from said closure, said cam-like part of the lever will engage a part of the closure and will withdraw said plunger from said associated part of said seat member, said lever when swung downwardly to the limit of its movement extending substantially perpendicular to the closure and forming a handle by which the closure may be held in the hand when removing the same from or when applying the sam to said opening in the seat member.

6. A seat for an invalid transfer device embodying therein a seat member having an opening therein, a closure for said opening adapted to be applied to and removedfrom said seat member from beneath the same, said closure including a top portion and a downwardly and outwardly flaring bordering flange fitting in said opening, a part of said top portion at one end of the closure extending beyond the associated part of said flange and adapted for engagement upon an upwardly facing ledge of the seat member for supporting the associated end of the closure when said closure is disposed in said opening, transverse flanges on the bottom of said closure, a spring pressed plunger associated with the other end of said closure and having sliding engagement in said flanges, one end of said plunger being formed for detachable engagement with a part of said seat member whereby to support the associated end of the closure, when said closure is arranged in said opening, and a pivotally mounted lever for actuating said plunger to disengage said one end of the plunger from said part of the seat member, said lever when in the position disengaging said plunger'from said part of the seat member forming a handle by which the closure may be held in the hand when removing the same from or when applying it to said opening in the seat member.

MELVIN M. FARMER. 

